ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — Last year, when Orange Beach Elementary Principal Steve Baker was diagnosed with cancer, teachers and students signed up for Locks of Love.

Just coming out of the news that a kindergarten teacher Rhonda Brantley had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the school’s young students were dealing with the realization of cancer.

“Our hearts went out to both of them,” teacher Kimberly Hollis said. “We just wanted to do something to show our support for them as they battle through this terrible disease.”

For a year a handful of girls and women grew out their hair, planning to soon have it cut off and donated to the organization that provides wigs to cancer patients.

Last week their plan came to fruition as the supporters gathered for their charitable haircuts.

Fourteen teachers, students and moms showed up at the Davis White Salon in Gulf Shores on the evening of April 7 to get new dos. Two sets of mothers and daughters, three sisters, teachers’ aides and an office worker all took part. More than 70 inches of hair was donated to Locks of Love.

The salon, which stayed open late and offered free haircuts and styling to the donators helped make the event possible. Seven stylists stopped taking appointments and volunteered their time for the cause.

“When Kimberly Hollis told us what they were planning on doing and they asked us to help we thought it would be a wonderful thing to do,” co-owner of Davis White Salon, Angela White, said. “It’s a worthwhile thing to do.” Brantley, who is now a teacher for the Sea, Sand and Stars lab at the elementary school, stopped in to get a peek at the excitement and show her thanks to the ladies who donated hair.

“They are just so generous to cut their hair,” Brantley said. “I’m just really touched that they have come together like this.”

Brantley, who is currently in remission, had her first surgery for her stage 3C ovarian cancer in February 2008 and said that hopefully by next year she’ll have long enough hair to donate too.

“At our school we are very close knit, we’re like a family,” Hollis said.

Hollis said when Baker was diagnosed and began undergoing chemotherapy he knew his hair would fall out. To inform the kids about the journey he was about to embark on, he held a raffle to shave his head.

“He didn’t want them to see him one day with a lot of hair and then him come and not have any hair,” Hollis said. “He held an assembly and told them he was going through this. He’s so concerned about everyone else we just wanted to do something to let him know how much we love him.”